I Mispronounce Too Many
Words in English

by Nancy khan
(Calgary, alberta)

I was raised in Canada to immigrant parents.

I've mispronounce words my whole life in English and native tongue. I feel this is effecting me each day with my work and personal life.

What could be my problem?

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Hi Nancy,

My friend Holly, who is a public school teacher, can help explain your difficulty with pronunciation.

According to Holly many families who immigrate to Canada (or any English speaking country) want the best for their children...including the ability to speak English.

So what do they do? They speak to to their children in English. This seems like it would be a good idea, but in fact it can lead to poor pronunciation and limited vocabulary in both English and your mother tongue. Why?

You see, most parents do not have excellent English or a very high level of English so the child then starts to learn "poor" English pronunciation and at the same time does not form a strong grasp of their own native language.

What does Holly suggest?

Parents should speak to their child in their native language and make sure that their child is exposed to a great deal of native English. (Playing with English speaking children, going to and English speaking school, watching TV and movies in English etc).

So what about you?

How can you improve your pronunciation?

Well, you can either get a teacher to help you and coach you or find a good self-study resource.

I highly recommend, "eEnglish
" by the creators of Pronunciation Power. The company is based in Edmonton Alberta (very close to you) and their online product truly is amazing.

It helps you identify your weaknesses, and then targets your pronunciation issues directly. It also helps you improve your intonation and emphasis.

I hope that helps and let me know how it goes. :)

All the best,
Diana